Mounties 'lucky to be alive' after cruiser hit

An RCMP cruiser car was T-boned early Saturday morning near Steinbach. A Richer man faces several charges.

Two RCMP officers had to be treated in a Steinbach hospital Saturday after their cruiser car was T-boned by an alleged drunk driver.

"They’re lucky to be alive. The car, its safety features, they did their job," said Steinbach RCMP Const. Terry Sundell. "It really only takes a few inches," he said.

The officers were out patrolling for drunk drivers at about 1 a.m. Saturday on Road 37 North in the RM of Ste. Anne. That’s when RCMP say a Buick Century ran a stop sign and plowed into the cruiser at highway speeds.

The Buick’s driver and three passengers also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Cameron Kostash, 24, of Richer faces a raft of charges, including four counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, four counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm and three counts of uttering threats to kill a police officer.

He was also charged with resisting arrest, and is held in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.

Police say Kostash is also facing charges of dangerous driving from a separate incident a year ago.